The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
